Page 49

Chapter Forty- Nine

T hey held hands at the cliff base, like children before God’s altar. Abi looked up the escarpment and the floating clouds above gave the illusion it was moving. She placed her hands against the rock; the warmth of the day still emanated from it. Sighing, she shrugged her pack off her shoulders and leaned against the rock.

Mackenzie stepped back to examine the cliff. “There’s the cave.” He pointed above her.

She stepped out and shielded her hand against the illuminated clouds. The black hole in the cliff face was about three quarters of the way up. “I see it. It looks big.”

“That’s our bedroom for tonight.”

“Okay,” Abi said with scepticism. “How do we get up there?”

“I’m working on that.”

Mackenzie studied the rock face and then rummaged through his pack removing the rope. Months ago, he’d cut long strips from two parachutes and woven them into a strong rope that had proven useful on numerous occasions. As he laid the rope out in large loops, he occasionally glanced up the cliff as if he was judging the distance from the ground to the cave.

“I’ll climb up first. Then I want you to tie the rope to the bags and I’ll pull them up.”

“Okay.”

He put his hand on her shoulder. “Then it’s your turn. Tie the rope around your waist like I showed you and I’ll help you climb up.” Abi remembered him showing her how to tie a rope months ago. His patience had been tested then and she hoped now that it wasn’t wasted.

Mackenzie must have been exhausted but his look of determination convinced her there was no point arguing. Abi glanced back at the vertical cliff and doubted whether she could do this; her upper-body strength had never been great. But with reluctance she nodded. “But shouldn’t we wait until morning? At least we can make a fire down here.”

“Good point.” He unzipped the travel case and tossed the contents out.

“What’re you doing?”

“We don’t need all this stuff up there; I’ll fill this with firewood for the morning.”

“Mack, sorry to burst your bubble, but you could get all the way up there and find you need to come straight back down.”

He reached for both her hands. His lips appeared redder and plumper when his beard was full, and she focused on them as he spoke.

“Abi, don’t ask me how, but I know it’ll be perfect. Trust me.”

“I do. But don’t you think we should have a look before we go to all this trouble?”

“Nope.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

Abi rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. “Okay.”

“That’s my girl.”

That’s my girl. She liked that.

Together they sorted their equipment into two piles. One would come up with them and the other would remain at the base of the cliff. Abi wrapped the items to be left behind in a parachute while Mackenzie filled the empty case with wood for a fire.

When they were ready, Mackenzie launched up the cliff, digging his hands and feet into chinks and small ledges in the stone. The rope dangled below him like Rapunzel’s hair. Abi held her breath with every step he climbed. He made it look easy, which only increased her anxiety.

He reached the cave and moments later he disappeared into the hole. She judged the distance to be about five stories’ high. She heard him calling to her but couldn’t make out his words.

The excitement in his voice was electric.

His head appeared over the edge, and he waved down at her. She returned the wave as his words reached her. “Tie the bag on.”

She secured the rope and stepped back as the bag inched in a vertical line up the cliff. They repeated the process with the next case and then it was her turn to climb. She tied the rope around her waist and mounted the first protruding rock, clinging to the sandstone with her fingers. For a fleeting moment, she remembered her once meticulous fingernails and was sickened by the fortune she’d spent on them over the years. Mackenzie tugged on the rope, and she searched with her foot for the next step, gingerly pulling herself up the rock face.

Halfway up, she had to stop. Her calf muscles ached, and her fingers throbbed. Mackenzie’s assurances floated down to her.

“I’m okay. Just need a rest.”

“Okay, take all the time you need.”

She placed her forehead on the warm rock and closed her eyes for a moment, listening to her ragged breathing.

“You’re doing well, honey,” Mackenzie’s voice floated down to her.

Abi pushed her hand toward the next stone but before she could grasp it, her foot slipped. Vertigo overwhelmed her and she fell. The rope strangled her waist, biting into her side, and she slammed face first into the cliff. Excruciating pain exploded from her knee. An abrupt memory flashed into her mind. It was another time when she’d felt incapable, and Spencer had told her so too. He often told her she was useless.

“Grab the rocks, Abi!” Mackenzie’s panicked cries reached her from above.

Spencer’s disparaging comments incited hatred within her. She wanted to prove him wrong, prove she was worthy as a woman and with newfound determination she reached up for the nearest rock.

“That’s it, Abi. You can do it.”

Mackenzie believed in her and she welcomed his encouraging words as she continued to climb. The pain in her leg intensified and the restricted movement forced her to rely on her arms even more. She was a survivor, and each painful step upwards was proof of how tenacious she was.

Her heart raced, but not with fear—with excitement. The edge of the cave was just another foot away. Keep focus, Abi. Mackenzie’s hands hooked under her arms. He lifted her over the precipice with ease and she fell onto his heaving chest and ran kisses along his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re safe now, honey.”

She kissed him wildly, passionately. “I know.”

Abi crawled further into the cave, the coarse sand of the cave floor pricking at her fingers. She dragged her leg, trying to ignore the pounding in her knee. Her arms and shoulders ached, and her body trembled, but she ignored it all and focused on her achievement. Beside her, Mackenzie’s breathing was ragged. She reached out for him. They lay holding hands, staring at the roof of the cave until they got their breath back. Abi noticed the indentations in the rock above her. It was like the inside of a sponge; hundreds of small pockets with smooth edges.

She turned to Mack. “I hope that was worth it.”

“Wait till you see.” His eyes twinkled with excitement.

She smiled, studying his face. A lock of his sweat-soaked hair draped over his shoulder and lay across his cheek. His dark, smiling eyes were rimmed with long, black eyelashes and his beard was full, hiding his handsome jaw line. Squeezing his hand, she sat up. Her knee throbbed, but she avoided looking at it.

The easterly facing view of the valley below them was breathtaking; a cascading river of green as far as she could see. Blue sky met with the green horizon and Abi imagined she could see to the end of the earth. “It’s beautiful.”

“I told you.”

But as Abi gazed out over the panorama, she realised something was missing. There were no signs of civilisation, nothing to indicate that anybody shared this earth with them. No buildings, no smoke, no planes, nothing. She scrutinised the sky.

S urely there’d be planes somewhere.

Her emotions were torn. On one hand, she wanted to be saved; on the other, she didn’t want their utopia to end.

“Why can’t we see anything?” Mackenzie read her mind .

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“How far off course could we have gone?”

The plane crash seemed like years ago, but the memory of that day was forever burned into her mind. She recalled the two attempts the plane made at turning and tried to imagine the distance it travelled away from the planned route. “A long way I guess, but still, shouldn’t we see something? Maybe it’s just the wrong time of day. I bet we’ll see planes tonight.”

He smiled at her. “You’re probably right.”

She leaned over to kiss him but gasped at the pain in her knee.

“What’s wrong?”

The concern in his eyes made her want to cry. She rolled up the leg of her tattered cargo pants. “I hurt my knee when I fell.” Her knee was swollen, and her kneecap was already an angry purple bruise.

“Oh, Abi.” He smoothed his hand over her leg. “This doesn’t look good.”

Abi shrugged. “Good timing, hey?”

Their eyes met and then Mackenzie swept his arm toward the view. “Well, if we have to be stuck anywhere, it might as well be the penthouse.”

She loved that about him. He had an amazing ability to look on the bright side of anything. Although a childhood like Mackenzie’s would force a person to choose between pessimism and optimism. She was grateful he committed to the latter.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s see if we can get you more comfortable, then I’ll get some things ready for the night.”

The cave was an ideal place to stay. It was as wide as two buses and the ceiling was high enough for Mackenzie to stand. Abi felt like she was sitting in the belly of a sleeping giant. The rock walls were worn smooth from centuries of wild Kakadu winds and the floor was covered in a layer of fine red gravel.

Mackenzie prepared a clothing bed against the rock wall and helped her lower herself onto the soft pile. Then he busied himself with the firewood. The unfortunate limitation of using the camera lens to make a fire was that it needed the sun. Tonight’s meal was going to be cold snake meat and bush tomato.

Charlie’s letters were nearby, and she hadn’t read one for a few days. She propped her leg up and reached for them, welcoming the distraction. She was just five letters from the last one, the one he’d written by the fire at their campsite, and she was both compelled and reluctant to finish reading them. Slipping a letter from the bundle, she lifted the flap, unfolded the pale cream paper and began to read.

My dearest Holly,

It’s your father here. I have some important news you must know. My whole life has been a constant battle and I thought I’d been dealt everything God could throw at me, but it seems he hasn’t finished punishing me yet.

As the mother of my beautiful grandchildren, I thought you should know that I have been diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy. Unfortunately, it’s hereditary and I pray neither you nor the kids are punished with it. Early diagnosis will help you manage the disease. But I won’t bore you with the symptoms. Please take the time to look it up.

If you only ever read one of my letters, make it this one.

I do have some exciting news though. I’m finally going on a field trip to find my Ozioxidant. The University have agreed to pay for me to spend a whole week in Kakadu. I wish I could tell you about it in person. I’ll write about my journey when I get back.

Thank you for being part of my life, for giving me the drive to carry on hoping that one day we’ll meet again.

I love you and I hope this letter makes you want to see me, before it’s too late.

I will love you forever,

Your father,

Charlie.

Abi refolded the letter and placed it in order back in the bundle. She wondered why Charlie’s wife didn’t let him be a part of Holly’s life. What would make someone hate that much? But then she also had barely any relationship with her daughter.

Abi was saddened at how little she’d fought for Krystal’s love. Unlike how hard she fought to keep her marriage intact, as worthless as it was. Although Spencer did many cruel and calculating things that took Krystal out of her life, she hoped Krystal never found out about his affairs.

There were some things a daughter shouldn’t know about her father.

Her mind drifted to the letter that changed her life forever. It was hidden in Spencer’s diary, amongst dozens of cryptic notations. The letter was from one of his mistresses, though Abi never did work out which one.

Was Spencer punished for his infidelity?

And if so, did he deserve to die?

If she’d never found that note, she would never have come to Kakadu. Without that note she would never have met Mackenzie. She glanced over at him while he was busy unpacking their things.

“Hey Mack. . . how come you never asked me what I was doing here?”

He cocked his head at her. “What?”

“It’s pretty obvious Kakadu isn’t the ideal holiday for a woman like me. Well, more specifically, the woman I was before the crash. So how come you never asked?”

He turned to her, frowning. “I don’t know, I guess I just assumed you and Spencer were enjoying a holiday together.”

“We never enjoyed anything together.”

Mackenzie returned to her side but remained quiet as he placed a couple of things on their rough plates. The meal consisted of a few figs, tomatoes, mushrooms and cold snake. She took a bite of raw mushroom but seemed to have lost her appetite.

“So why are you here?” His brows drilled together.

Abi chewed on her mushroom and as she forced it down, she agonised over her answer. “I conned Spencer into it.” As much as she hated to admit it, it was true.

He huffed. “From what you’ve told me about Spencer, he wouldn’t be conned easily.”

“It wasn’t that hard. I went to his office early one evening. He wasn’t expecting me for at least another hour. I forced my way into his office and found him half undressed.”

“In his office? ”

“He told me he was just about to shower?—”

“He has a shower in his office?”

“It was a fancy office, with wood-panelled walls and a fully stocked bar. You know, an executive suite.”

Abi could tell he didn’t know. “Anyway, I just knew he was hiding someone in the bathroom. It took all my might not to throw open the door and see which one of my so-called friends he was screwing. But I couldn’t do it.”

“Why not?” His brows met in the middle.

“Because without him I was nothing. I needed him.”

“Oh, Abi. You’re so much more than just Mrs …” He frowned.

“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth and laughed. “You don’t know my surname. That’s so funny.”

He chuckled with her. “Sorry but it never really came up.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just funny. Where I come from it was always so important to know a person’s heritage.”

“So don’t keep me in suspense. What’s your name?”

“Mulholland. Mrs Abigail Priscilla Mulholland.”

Mackenzie held his palm toward her, and she shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs Abigail Mulholland.”

“Abi. Please just call me Abi.”

“So, Abi, did you find out who he was hiding?”

“No.”

His frown deepened. “So how did this get you to Kakadu?”

“Spencer went into the bathroom, allegedly to finish off his shower. And while he was in there, I found a secret note in his diary. Spencer had invited a woman to join him on a holiday to Kakadu and the note was her acceptance.”

Mackenzie whistled. “Sprung.”

“Over the years I’d had plenty of hints of his infidelities but nothing tangible. The note was proof. It was horrible. I had no idea what to do. Eventually I decided I wasn’t going to do anything.”

“You let him get away with it?”

“Not really. When I told him I was planning a birthday party for him, he told me he was going to Kakadu with a mate instead. So, I demanded to go. You should have seen how much he squirmed after that. But I wouldn’t give up.” She sighed and lowered her eyes to the red gravel floor.

A sadness for Spencer washed through her. His life had been as tortured as hers. They were never meant to be together and should have divorced many years ago. He didn’t deserve to die and if she hadn’t meddled with destiny, maybe he wouldn’t have. “Now he’s dead and here I am, lost in Kakadu, all because of that note.”

“Abi, you can’t think like that. We can’t think like that. You and I had nothing to do with what happened. It was just a terrible accident and for whatever reason, we were the only survivors. Maybe it was our destiny to meet.”

Her eyes drifted to him. Can he read my thoughts?

“Come here.” He tugged her to his chest and ran his hand over her hair. She should cry, but when no tears came, she tried to convince herself it wasn’t her fault. If anything, it was really Spencer’s infidelity that brought him to Kakadu.

Maybe it was destiny after all.

A low thumping noise, regular in pattern and unusual in sound caught her attention and she pulled back from Mackenzie, frowning. Mackenzie’s eyes widened and he jumped to his feet.

“A helicopter!” He raced to the edge of the cave. “Here, we’re in here!” He waved his arms and leaned so far over the edge Abi feared he might actually fall off the cliff.

“Can you see it?” She stumbled to her feet.

“No.”

“What do we do?” Abi hobbled toward the ledge and searched left and right, seeking the source of the sound. It was getting louder by the second.

Mackenzie jumped up and down, flailing his arms. Then he tugged off his T-shirt and waved it around like a crazy man. His face was full of hope and relief, his excitement infectious.

The sound grew louder, the rotors beat with greater intensity, matching the beat of her heart. “Can you see it?”

The helicopter suddenly shot past the cave with a deafening roar and a flash of steel.

“Here, here we are!” Mackenzie screamed so loud it must have hurt his throat. But it was pointless, as the seconds ticked by the thumping noise simply faded away. “They’re gone. Fuck!”

The look of despair on his face broke Abi’s heart. She was lost for words. Was that their last chance of a rescue? She reached out for Mackenzie, wrapped her arms around his waist and he tugged her closer. His chest rose and fell with each ragged breath he took.

“I can’t believe we missed another one.” She tossed her hands up in frustration.

“Me neither.”

The Kakadu breezes picked up and carried on as if nothing had happened. They stood staring across the jungle until his breathing returned to normal.

“At least we saw another helicopter.” She shrugged. But even as the words left her lips, she realised how futile they were. They had only heard two helicopters in over nine months.

God knows how much longer before another one comes .

He nodded. “This was a good sign, though. I reckon that was a guided tour. Hopefully this is one of their regular flight paths. So, we’ll just need to be ready for the next one.”

Always positive. Abi had no idea how he did it. “Righty ho. . . we need a giant flag or something.” She glanced around and the colourful parachute fabric caught her eye. “What about a parachute?”

“Abi, you’re a genius.”

Mackenzie helped her back to the bed and she rested on one elbow as he put a plan together. He was brilliant to watch, methodical and decisive. Before long Mackenzie had one of their parachutes secured to the edge of the cave so the rest of it could dangle outside and billow in the wind. Suddenly their cave was highly noticeable, exactly what they needed. He raised his eyebrows at her. “They can’t miss that.”

“No. They’re blind if they do.”

“I better get cracking on dinner before it’s completely dark in here.”

As Abi stared into the valley below, the sun disappeared somewhere behind the enormous cliff and the sky gradually morphed from a pale blue to an intense orange and pink, before descending into deep cobalt blue. Finally, it turned as black as coal. Millions of stars littered the sky, tiny pin pricks in a velvet black cloak. The stars twinkled like she’d never seen before, laughing at her .

After their meal, Mackenzie crawled into bed beside her, and they stared out into the night. A swollen moon bounced up from the horizon and shed light on the valley below them. They sat in silence for a long time. After seeing that helicopter, Abi couldn’t help but wonder if tonight was going to be their last night in Kakadu. She was actually saddened by the thought. The jungle, as brutal as it could be, now seemed like home and she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to go back to her old life, ever. Suddenly a falling star dazzled the night sky like a rescue flare.

“Did you see that?” Mackenzie exclaimed with boyish glee.

“It was brilliant.”

“Quick, close your eyes and make a wish.”

Abi closed her eyes, savouring the childish notion. Her wish came easily and when she opened her eyes, Mackenzie was staring at her. With his long dark hair falling about his shoulders and his teeth pearl-like in the moonlight he was as radiant as a Greek God.

“So, what did you wish for?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I can’t tell you or … my wish won’t come true.”

“Yes, you can.”

She looked at him indignantly. “Tell me yours first.”

He shrugged. “In light of our situation it’s not hard to guess what we wished for.”

“Mmm,” she mumbled.

He cocked his head, his eyes examining her. “I wished for another helicopter. What did you wish for?”

She hesitated. By the very definition of her wish, she had to tell the truth, but she didn’t want to sound foolish. She sighed. I’ve got to start somewhere . “I wished,” she paused to look at the stars. “I wished to remain true to myself, to be honest with my feelings … especially when we return to reality.”

He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess you passed the first test then.”

She leaned over and kissed him, gently at first and then he opened his lips letting her tongue explore his mouth. She ran her fingers through his long hair as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. Her hand glided under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his back as her fingers traced his contours, discovering every muscle.

His hand cupped her breast, squeezing, caressing and then barely touching and as she arched her back, he removed her clothes, revealing her nakedness beneath. She imagined everybody watching, a voyeuristic display of passion for the world to see. Welcoming his exploring fingers, she tore his shirt off and the sharp ripping sound was an addictive potion.

A soft breeze tantalised her exposed flesh and her nipples were electric as they firmed, wanting more. Mackenzie knelt before her, positioned between her legs, his eyes drinking in her body. She surrendered herself to him, body and soul, wanting him, needing him, like a flame needs a breath of air.

Her heart pounded to an exotic beat as his focus devoured her. The gentle touch of his lips as he planted brief chaste kisses over her stomach made her skin tingle. His tongue circled her nipple making it swell and harden and just when she thought it couldn’t peak any more, he clamped his lips over her delicate bud and sucked, sending her into sensation overload.

He brought her to the brink of no return and then he pulled back, hovering above her on his hands and knees, his breathing ragged. She wanted him … now, and reached up to pull his mouth to hers. Their lips touched with sizzling passion. Their kiss deepened, tongues probing, exploring. She was lost in the moment, savouring the fire deep within her. He eased himself into her and she gasped, digging her nails into his muscular shoulders.

They became one, entangled in an intensity that united them with feverish appetite. Her body came alive, throbbing inside and out as he thrust himself into her.

His rhythm increased, faster, harder and when he called out her name the coil that had wound itself into a tight ball deep within her loins exploded in a delicious orgasm. She cried out, igniting final feverish thrusts from Mackenzie that ended with him falling onto her chest and gasping for air.

They remained as one for a long time.

Mackenzie eventually eased off her. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the breeze whistling through the cave. A warm glow enveloped her. It didn’t matter that she was sleeping on the ground, that she hadn’t bathed in over a week, or that she had no idea where her next meal was coming from. As long as she was with Mackenzie then everything was perfect. Was this the definition of love?

Soon she heard Mackenzie’s deep breathing, a sound that had driven her to distraction in her previous life.

But now it was an angel’s song, letting her know she wasn’t alone.